Arteta backed to drop ‘DUD’ Arsenal signing and recall ‘big game’ player

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·23 December 2025

Arteta backed to drop ‘DUD’ Arsenal signing and recall ‘big game’ player

One observer has branded Viktor Gyokeres a ‘dud’ who is living off ‘charity penalties’ at Arsenal, and he believes Mikel Arteta will recall a ‘big game’ player in a scenario Jamie Carragher predicted months ago.

Gyokeres was viewed as the final piece of the puzzle when brought to Arsenal over the summer, with the hope being the free-scoring Swede would fire the Gunners to their first Premier League title since 2004.

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Arsenal may yet be crowned kings of England at season’s end, though from what we’ve seen so far, it won’t have all that much to do with Gyokeres.

The 27-year-old scored for fun in Portugal and not so unpredictably, has found the going much tougher in England.

He’s scored just five goals in 15 Premier League matches so far, two of which were penalties.

And according to talkSPORT host and social media influencer, Rory Jennings, Gyokeres should now be classified as a dud.

What’s more, Jennings claimed that once Kai Havertz has returned to full fitness following minor knee surgery, the German will called in to lead Arsenal’s front line in place of Gyokeres.

“Viktor Gyokeres is a dud,” Jennings declared on talkSPORT. “I think that we’ve now seen enough, haven’t we? I think there were question marks before he arrived. I got a lot of stick on this very station before he arrived.

“Gyokeres is basically not the player that Arsenal thought they were signing. He’s not the player that they need him to be.

“That’s not to say that it will be totally detrimental to their ambitions this year. They have a wonderful team.

“They have a great defence, brilliant attackers, and they can score enough goals with or without Gyokeres.”

Jennings continued: “I think both Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz are better players than Viktor Gyokeres.

“Gyokeres hasn’t been the player that they thought they were signing. They were signing the most prolific attacker in Europe.

“When anybody suggested caution around that, when anybody suggested scoring goals in the Portuguese league isn’t necessarily the recommendation that you think it is, people would laugh at that.

“People would say that’s a ridiculous opinion. He’s obviously going to score goals in the Premier League. It isn’t that easy.

“We’ve seen countless players arrive with big reputations and not be able to cut it.”

When Jennings was informed Gyokeres has scored five goals in the league this season, he replied: “You’re looking at charity penalties in that, though.

“I think Arsenal could still win the league, but I don’t think Gyokeres is going to be the player that they need him to be.”

Gyokeres snub would prove Jamie Carragher right

Gyokeres being dropped in favour of Havertz was a scenario Jamie Carragher predicted all the way back at the beginning of the season.

During a debate with fellow pundit Gary Neville on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Carragher claimed Arteta views Havertz as a ‘big game player’ and wouldn’t hesitate to select the German ahead of Gyokeres against the more difficult opponents.

“If I’m being honest, I think they go back to Havertz in the biggest games, I think that will be the case,” declared Carragher.

Neville then replied: “He can’t leave Gyokeres out of big games,” to which Carragher said: “He can.”

“I think Havertz is too important a player for Mikel Arteta to be left out,” added the former Liverpool defender. “I don’t see that happening at all.”